Last week, I discussed what type of moving insurance there is and how you need to insure your household goods. This week, I’m going to list the documents you need with you before moving overseas.

If you plan to move overseas any time soon, it’s important that you have your documents in order before you move. Many tend to forget that you must provide proper paperwork documenting your identity when living abroad. In addition, it’s also important to have employment contracts, lease and rental agreements in hand as well as medical insurance and records especially if there is an unforeseen medical emergency while traveling to your overseas destination.

Documents on the plane
When you are boarding the plane to head overseas, besides your passport and visa, make sure you have the following paperwork not only for you, but for each member of your family too if appropriate or anyone else that’s moving with you:
• Identification
• Driver’s license
• Certificates of citizenship for naturalized individuals
• Marriage certificate
• Adoption papers
• Divorce and child custody papers if your children are accompanying you abroad (if applicable)

Depending on the country you’re traveling to, you may also need passport-size photographs for your visa upon your arrival, as well as the lease or rental agreement for housing in your new country so authorities know where you’ll be living. Also, make sure you make a copy of your passport and visa just in case you lose either one of them or both when traveling.

Emergency documents
In addition to the documentation necessary for your family to enter the country, you also want to have important paperwork close by in case of emergencies. You should include the following:
• Medical insurance coverage
• Medical records
• Dental records
• Property and motor vehicle insurance records
• Income tax records for several previous years
• Wills
• Power of attorney

Gathering this essential paperwork ahead of time will help to ensure you’re prepared for your transition to living in a foreign country.

Safe moving!

Having moving insurance is vital to protect your household goods when moving overseas or practically anywhere. Last week, I provided you tips on how to negotiate but noted, not to skimp on not purchasing insurance. This week, the ins and outs and tips to purchasing insurance.

Here are some important tips you should know about insuring your belongings during a move:
Basic Coverage:
Federal regulations require that all moving companies offer two types of coverage to consumers on out-of-state moves.
• Released-value protection covers up to 60 cents per pound. This protection is standard and included in moving charges.
• Full-value protection covers the value of the entire item damaged, and is based on the customer’s valuation of the goods that are being moved. The customer pays about 1 percent of the valuation for the added coverage. If you decide all of your belongings being shipped are worth $50,000, you would pay about $500 for full-value protection.
Expanded Mover Coverage
• Valuation options: You can ask moving companies or a third party if they offer other valuation options, often called “assessed value protection”, that cover damage beyond the “up to 60 cents” coverage movers supply by law.
• Expanded valuations: Declared value allows you to set a per-pound amount for your belongings. For example, if you decide your belongings are worth $6 per pound and your total shipment is 10,000 pounds, you are placing a valuation of $60,000 on the total shipment. That would be the maximum you would receive if the entire shipment were destroyed or lost. Individual items would be replaced with like-kind, a two-year-old washing machine for a two-year-old washing machine. This is important to consider because items such as used clothing have little actual cash value.
• Lump sum value: Also called assessed value, this coverage is basically the same as expanded valuations, except the consumer sets the amount by value instead of weight. This is better if you have a lot of small, high-value items that don’t weigh much.
Whichever insurance you choose, make sure to inspect your goods when they arrive at their destination so you know all your household goods are in great shape.

Safe moving!

This week, I am going to take a deep dive and provide you with more useful and explicit tips on writing an effective online review. The best moving company reviews are honest and straight forward. People believe what is written in reviews and take into account when making decisions on which company they plan to hire.

Some of the tips to take into consideration include the following:
• Provide succinct and useful information – Review the facts that you would want to know if you were planning a house move. In other words, think about what customers would want to know about your move when considering the company you used. Focus on customer service, efficiency, trustworthiness and overall experience.
• Be impartial and give a factual account of your moving experience – Don’t get too personal or melodramatic. Like on the long-running series of Dragnet, “just give us the facts ma’am.” List all of the pros and cons of your move to make your review more helpful and objective for your readers. If something did go wrong, don’t blame the movers unless it was really their fault.
• Don’t use offensive language or personal attacks – Some reviewers use bad language and it’s counter-productive. Even if you are correct, if you use foul language, it will demonstrate that you are rude and not credible in your review.
• Use proper grammar, no spelling mistakes – You want to be sure your online review is credible and trusted. A good tip here is to write your review in Word, grammar and spell check it in the document and then cut and paste it in the online box the sites provide for reviews.

Lastly, I would post your review on several websites such as Yelp, BBB, MyMovingReviews.com, and other pertinent sites so your opinion and review will be read and understood literally throughout the world.

Safe moving!

This week, I’m going to provide you some tips on how to thank your movers.

After you have completed your research and found an excellent and reputable mover, you’ll probably will be at a point where you want to thank them for a job well done. It’s best to make it easier on your movers to get to the items you need to move ensuring a safety moving day.

One way to thank movers and to make their job easier is to clear all pathways of any type of obstructions or debris in your household. If it’s during the winter months, it would be ideal to clear your driveway of snow and make sure all pathways are cleared for them.

Another way to thank your movers is to respect their needs such as providing bottled water, tea, coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages. Also, giving them easy access to your restroom with plenty of handwashing soap and paper towels.

Most moves take most of the day so be sure to provide lunch for them. You can easily call in for delivered pizza, pick up some burgers or have food on hand or pre-prepared meals so they have enough energy to get through the day.

If you are happy with your movers and they did an outstanding job, have “thank you” cards prepared and give one to each mover. This goes a long way in showing your appreciation for a job well done.

Tipping is not required to movers but if you believe your movers did a great job, then one of the best ways to thank your movers is to tip them. Use your best judgment on tipping especially if you have unique experiences. The best tipping formula is to tip $4 to $5 per mover or about $40 a day per mover.

Another good way is to write a review of your moving company about how well they did. We welcome online reviews for Rainier because it demonstrates that we take care of our customers.

These are just some ways how you can thank your movers for a job well done.

Safe moving!